The 2026 salary survey
The top firms at the market all pay at similar (high) levels, but there are differences which are worth considering when making your applications. Money isn't everything, but it is something.
It's also important to check regional variations: some firms will pay the same salary in all their offices across the US, while others will pay different rates in different markets. Check each firm's Inside View for more information.
| Firm | 1st year salary | 2nd year salary |
| A&O Shearman | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Akin | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Alston & Bird | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Arnold & Porter | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Axinn | $250,000 | Undisclosed |
| Baker Botts | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Bracewell | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Brown Rudnick | $215,000 | $225,000 |
| Cadwalader | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Cahill | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Cleary Gottlieb | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Clifford Chance | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Cooley | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Covington & Burling | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Cozen O'Connor | $180,000 - $215,000 | Undisclosed |
| Cravath | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Dechert | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| DLA Piper | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Duane Morris | $195,000 - $215,000 | Undisclosed |
| Elsberg Baker & Maruri | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Faegre Drinker | $160,000 - $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Finnegan | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Fish & Richardson | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Foley & Lardner | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Foley Hoag | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Fox Rothschild | $145,000 - $205,000 | Undisclosed |
| Freshfields | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Fried Frank | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Gibson Dunn | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Goodwin | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Goulston & Storrs | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Greenberg Glusker | $210,000 | $220,000 |
| Greenberg Traurig | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Gunderson | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Haynes and Boone | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Hogan Lovells | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Holland & Knight | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Holwell Shuster & Goldberg | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| HSF Kramer | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Hunton Andrews Kurth | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Irell & Manella | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Jackson Walker | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Jenner & Block | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Jones Day | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Katten | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| King & Spalding | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Latham & Watkins | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Linklaters | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Mayer Brown | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| McDermott Will & Schulte | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Milbank | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Mintz Levin | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Morgan Lewis | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Morrison & Foerster | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Munger, Tolles & Olson | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| O'Melveny | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Orrick | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Patterson Belknap | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Paul Hastings | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Paul, Weiss | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Perkins Coie | $165,000 - $225,000 | $170,000 - $235,000 |
| Pillsbury | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Polsinelli | $210,000 - $225,000 | $210,000 - $235,000 |
| Proskauer Rose | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Reed Smith | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Richards, Layton & Finger | $210,000 | Undisclosed |
| Seyfarth Shaw | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Sheppard Mullin | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Sidley Austin | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Simpson Thacher | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Skadden | $225,000 | Undisclosed |
| Sterne Kessler | $190,000 - $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Vedder Price | $225,000 | $230,000 - $235,000 |
| Venable | $215,000 | $225,000 |
| Vinson & Elkins | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Weil | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| White & Case | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Wiley | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Willkie Farr | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| WilmerHale | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Wilson Sonsini | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Winston & Strawn | $225,000 | $235,000 |